BICYCLISTS BATTLE FOR BRIDGE ACCESS

Editor -- I liked your "Bridge the Gaps for Cyclists" editorial in last Sunday's Chronicle. Bridge access for bicycles has suddenly become a hot topic.

By far the hottest, most urgent topic right now is bike access on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. We've got a bridge. We've got the space. Isn't it time to let bicyclists use this bridge?

Caltrans says: It's too dangerous to let bicycles ride on the shoulder. We say: Bicyclists ride on state highways and on 1,000 miles of freeway shoulders right now. Caltrans says: The expansion joints present a danger. We say: Cover them with steel plates.

A crucial decision is about to be made by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the government agency charged with protecting the bay. Caltrans has applied for a permit to BCDC to retrofit this bridge and says that they view bicycle access as a separate project, not as part of the retrofit. BCDC says their duty is to provide "maximum feasible public access." We say it's not a big deal. It would cost Caltrans less than 1 percent of the retrofit cost to incorporate bicycle access as part of the retrofit work.

It is of the utmost importance that bicycle access be made a condition of the Caltrans permit. This will be the only real guarantee that access will becomea reality. The tide appears to be turning. Caltrans is listening.

BAY BRIDGE BIKE PATH

Editor -- I am sending this e-mail in order to express my strong support for a bike path on the Bay Bridge. It is a travesty that here in the Bay Area, where we have so many enthusiastic cyclists and far too many cars, there is no way for cyclists to travel along this major thoroughfare. Moreover, a bike path on the Bay Bridge could be shared with pedestrians, further broadening its appeal. The bike path would ideally be on the upper deck and on the north side of the bridge, where pollution and noise would be lessened by the wind currents. Any type of bike path, however, would be better than none. The most important thing is to be able to cross from the East Bay to San Francisco on a bicycle or by foot.

I hope that you will serve the individual interests of the many Bay Area citizens who support the path, as well as the broader public interest in improving our air quality.

BENNET A. ZELNER

Berkeley

PEDESTRIAN RIGHTS

Editor -- In your Sunday editorial about bicyclists, you didn't mention the resentment felt by pedestrians toward bicyclists who ride on the sidewalks of San Francisco and other Bay Area cities. What about the rights of pedestrians vis-a-vis bicyclists? And how about a little sympathy for pedestrians who have to put up with so many lawbreaking bike riders every day? Before expanding the rights of bicyclists, let's get them off the sidewalks!

JIM WESTON

San Francisco

THE DUTCH DO IT RIGHT

Editor -- After having spent six months in The Netherlands, I say spend whatever it takes to add bike lanes to bridges and city roads. Most city roads in The Netherlands have three lanes in each direction: one for cars, one for bikes and one for pedestrians. The roads in the center of towns are shared equally by cars and bikes; the central bus or rail station will have hundreds, sometimes thousands, of spaces to lock bikes to. The town of Groningen, in the north, went so far as to ban cars in the center of town, allowing only buses and bikes in the interior. Locals should stop complaining about paying 10 cents per gallon more than people in Southern California and instead imagine paying what Europeans do ($4 per gallon). Gas prices are sure to increase in the future in addition to bridge tolls, making travel by bicycle more attractive.

W. ERIC MARTIN

Albany

TIANANMEN SQUARE

Editor -- As we approach another anniversary (the eighth), of the Tiananmen Square massacre it behooves us to reconsider our approach to China.

The repression of dissidents continues and threatens to engulf Hong Kong in July when China takes over.

Shouldn't we review our policy of trade above all in determining our attitudes toward China? Our policy of "constructive engagement" has not resulted in any improvement in the area of human rights in China. In fact, the situation in many cases is worse with the continued persecution of dissidents, Tibetans, religious worshipers and others.

I urge those concerned to attend a memorial service for the victims of the June 4 massacre in Portsmouth Square today from 2 to p.m. and also a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, June 3, in the same place,

ADULT SCHOOLS' BIG ROLE

Editor -- I read with interest your editorial in the Sunday Chronicle (May 18) regarding welfare reform and the community colleges. There are several points, however, that I would like to add to the discussion. First, I agree that the California community colleges are a remarkable resource. Community colleges offer a bridge for many into four- year institutions. And the Associate of Arts and Sciences degrees and certificate programs open doors into rewarding careers in many technical fields.

But the types of programs mentioned in your article which the community colleges are in the process of implementing are currently in existence elsewhere. California's Adult Education programs have been providing these types of training for years. Adult schools provide instruction in Adult Basic Education, Literacy Improvement, GED and high school diplomas for adults and many types of vocational training oriented to the marketplace.

Adult schools have traditionally demonstrated the ability to offer a diverse curriculum of relevant, affordable, flexible and accessible courses that address the educational needs and skill levels of a large segment of the state's adult population, especially welfare recipients.

Any discussion of welfare reform and equipping a workforce for the 21st century that neglects to mention the adult schools is missing a valuable piece of the equation. We must challenge the wisdom of reinventing the wheel, because there is already a wheel in place that has proven more than capable of fullfilling its task.

My little 38 cents per American helped fund all this transcendent beauty! My heart is lifted and my spirit is gladdened so much by this small amount. I do not receive this much joy from my $1,037 contribution to defense spending. In the dark, I often weep for the beauty and artistry of young musicians and dancers and filmmakers. Now I will have to weep, too, for the small- minded Babbitry and philistinism of Messrs. Greaves of San Rafael and Zalon of Novato (Letters, May 24) who would deny young artists and native basketweavers even this small pittance.

RONALD JIN

San Francisco

CRAB RIGHTS

EDITOR -- This communication is to offer another look at two letters to the editor, "Animal Cruelty" and "Yee Misses the Point," that appeared in The Chronicle on May 23.

Walking down Fisherman's Wharf, I observed a half-dozen live crabs thrown periodically into a 50- gallon drum, even when the watertemperature did not reach boiling point (100 degree Celsius). In conjunction with their thick shells, the crabs took a longer time to die.

Tourists can not see the crabs struggle and suffer after being submerged in the not very hot water. A genuine advocate of animal rights should not ignore that those crabs are suffering and ill-treated. For all live animals' destiny, San Franciscans should stop exequies of all animals, not only to forcefully defend frogs, turtles and chickens, but to be morally obligated to include the protection of crabs also.

YEN-KUANG HO

San Francisco

BOMB GROUP REUNION

Editor -- The 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth Air Base in England during World War II, will hold its national reunion for air and ground veterans September 4-8, at the Westin William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa. Call Carlton Smith (209) 533-4044 for details.